
Intro to Love

9/2020 • LEARN • Get to know our community partners and how you can get involved with their work Learn More
11/2020 • LAUNCH • Learn about Team Brownsville and now support their fundraising with the easy to use Instagram Donation button Learn More
Reminders
Convenient Links
GET POLITICAL:
Interactive Voting Map to find voting information for all 50 states.
Call your representatives to demand the bar & restaurant industry is part of the stimulus plan in response to COVID-19. Capital switchboard number – (202) 224-3121
If you’re a U.S. citizen and not registered to vote, or you recently moved, it’s quick and easy to register and update your voter registration here: Register!
SHOP ILEGAL APPAREL:
Since the company began we have supported and contributed to a number of groups working to affect social change for the better. On March 18, 2020, Ilegal made a donation of $50,000 to the USBG Relief Fund. We are in this together and we look forward to bellying up to the bar with you all again soon. To support those who are most vulnerable, the profits from the sale of our apparel shop will be split between the organizations below.
OUR HISTORY
Around 2004, Ilegal’s founder John Rexer began bringing mezcal down from Oaxaca to Antigua to supply his bar, Café No Sé. The mezcal became popular very quickly. At the time, he was bringing down unbranded mezcal from a variety of villages in Oaxaca that included: Tlacolula, San Lorenzo, Sola De Vega, Santa Catarina Minas, Hierve el Agua, Santiago Matatlan and a few others.
In 2006, John created the brand Ilegal, originally just to supply his bar in Guatemala. On the back of each bottle of Ilegal you will find it says “Originally produced for: Café No Sé, Mezcal Bar.”
OUR LIQUID
Certified as artisanal by the CRM, made in Oaxaca, agave forward, with a hint of smoke. Approachable and versatile, can be served neat or in cocktails.
We only use Espadín agave because it is cultivatable. 100% natural, Ilegal Mezcal uses no artificial colors, yeasts, flavors, or additives. Just agave, sun, and time. Commitment to quality is apparent in every step of our process, from harvest to first sip.
One of the few brands that has aged mezcals. Simple Portfolio: Joven, Reposado, & Añejo.
THE ILEGAL BRAND
Ilegal is a leading artisanal mezcal in the US. Crafted in Oaxaca, Mexico from 100% Espadín agave. It is smooth, approachable and ultra premium. Our name comes from when the owner used to smuggle it from Mexico to Antigua, Guatemala for his bar, Café No Sé…everything Ilegal is full of risk and adventure, great stories and truth wilder than fiction.
Clearly a special occasion sort of spirit—kept under black wax-dipped cork—it can hardly be seen as a coincidence that it dropped just before the holiday season. And yes, it will make a great holiday dram for the agave-lovers in your gift-giving circle. But given the level of craftsmanship involved, the $175 asking price could actually be read as a bargain.
“We measure success at Ilegal not just by cases sold, but also by our partners and environmental initiatives we can enact,” said founder John Rexer.
The new bottles will be made by family-run business Fusion y Formas, which recycles 10,000 tons of glass annually at its facility in Jalisco, Mexico. “We share the same vision with Fusion y Formas to build sustainably and scale responsibly, while maintaining quality above all else,” Rexer added.
“Until 2020 I had never been one to care much about which, if any, liquor I have at home. But needless to say, this year is different, and a well-stocked liquor cabinet has become a big priority. As a devoted mezcal drinker, one of my number one go-to bottles to always keep around is Ilegal Mezcal Joven. Perfectly smooth and lightly smokey, this mezcal is excellent for drinking on-the-rocks but also makes for a great cocktail. A personal favorite is using it in place of tequila in a Margarita, both classic and frozen, or in this Mezcal Negroni.” — Elsa Säätelä, senior producer